DARK ROMANCE
an interview with @meonlyredââs Lucwayn Tal Sivron for Port & Planet Magazine
(click images for full size; full text of interview under the cut) Thank you to @meonlyred for collaborating with me on this project. She is responsible for the character, and posing for the pictures, and the answers to all the interview questions. I had the time of my life making this with you.
You may know him as a Wrath, as a warrior, as the handsome shadow behind the Alliance Commander -- Sith Lord Lucwayn Tal Sivron is all of these things, but as I learned in the peculiar intimacy of a hangar bay photoset one early autumn afternoon on Odessen, he is not only these things.
 The secretive Alliance base is a place where legends come alive, and Lord Lucwayn is no exception. Shrouded as he is in stories of battle and bloodshed and some of the most salacious gossip this side of the Perlemmian, itâs easy to be surprised by the raw, seductive humanity of the man who met me in that hangar bay with a lazy smile and a bottle of Zakuulan wine.
 Already styled for his later photoshoot, Lord Lucwayn arrives to our interview harnessed in gold and draped in luxurious scarlet, a tantalizing garment perfectly designed to accentuate the hard planes and ripe swells of musculature across his exquisitely sculpted form. He is a vision of temptation, a forbidden fruit you canât help wanting to taste, and the coy glint in his eye suggests he knows it.
 He is a man who drips with confidence, whose every languid movement is full of promise--a promise that could be for pain just as easily as for pleasure. I am immediately captivated by him, as is everyone on the set that day..
 For a Sith, Lord Lucwayn is patient with me as I remember how to form words so I can ask about the human being and his very human (or Twiâlek, as it were) connections beneath the glamor and the legend. The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
 PORT & PLANET: Itâs been a busy couple of months here on Odessen. Do you and your wife have big plans for the Festival of Love or are you going to keep things lowkey this year?
SIVRON: Vette and I take every opportunity we can to have celebrations. The Festival of Love is a particular favorite of ours. Since we had to be apart for so long, there is a lot of celebrating to catch up on.
 PORT & PLANET: How are the two of you planning to celebrate?
SIVRON: [Smiles devilishly] Music, wine, and fine food. Then a very long evening privately, maybe with an extra friend or two.
 PORT & PLANET: So the rumors about you two having an open marriage are true?
SIVRON: It's funny how many people assume we're kidding. It's been part of our relationship since the beginning. Something we have communicated with each other extensively. I might have been with many but I have only ever loved one, my wife.
 PORT & PLANET: Do the two of you have any⌠frequent guests?
SIVRON: Not as many as you might think. And not the ones you might think. Usually it's one time appearances.
 PORT & PLANET: Anyone in particular youâre courting for The Festival of Love?
SIVRON: [Winks] That remains to be seen. Have to talk it over with Vette first.
 PORT & PLANET: There are lots of rumors that youâve had the Commander of the Alliance in your bed. Any truth to that?
SIVRON: The Commander is a lovely and bold woman. Anyone would be lucky to be invited to her bed. But I won't sully the reputation of a Jedi or that of our leader by answering that.
 His words may be coy, but the smile that creeps across Lord Lucwaynâs face as he speaks of the Commander is so genuine Iâm almost moved by it. Itâs clear to see where the rumors of their sexual relationship come from--thereâs a deep fondness there, an even deeper respect--but it seems he would be playing a different kind of coy if there was any truth to them. If the Commander is sleeping with someone on her staff, it probably isnât Lord Lucwayn Tal Sivron.
 PORT & PLANET: Then what about her rumored lover? People say youâve had him in your bed too.
SIVRON: [Mutters into his wine glass] Not for lack of trying. [Aloud] Our spymaster seems to be too in love with his work to have time for extracurricular activities.
 He gives the spymasterâs âworkâ such a particular emphasis, with such a twinkle in his eye, I canât help wondering if this is yet another thing Lord Lucwayn is trying to say without saying. I canât help wondering if he cultivates this air of secrecy for his own protection, for the Allianceâs protection, or merely because he knows how much more irresistible the air of mystery makes him. I find the reasons donât matter; Iâm drawn in by all the things he isnât saying and desperate to hear him not say more.
 PORT & PLANET: Any names of note you can drop that have been guests in your bed? Before or after your marriage. Youâve got quite a reputation.
SIVRON: If you know my reputation then you probably already know that answer. Some like to brag and some like to lie. Allow them to keep their boast.
 PORT & PLANET: Alright, alright. Point taken. But Iâve been speaking with some of the former Imperials around the base and they tell me you were married once before Vette. Is that true?
SIVRON: Not entirely correct. I was engaged to be married. My family was very traditional even among the Sith and arranged a marriage between the Sivrons and the Novarrs for political and lineage purposes.
 PORT & PLANET: But then you met Vette?
SIVRON: I met Vette on Korriban. She was instrumental in helping me complete my trials there. I don't think I would have succeeded without her.
 PORT & PLANET: Thatâs a pretty powerful statement for a Sith. When did you first realize you loved her?
SIVRON: As with all good things it took time. It was a gradual realization that came from a thousand little things.
 PORT & PLANET: When did you tell her you loved her?
SIVRON: Short answer: when the moment was right. With the position I'm in, I wanted to make sure it was something I was ready to say and she was ready to hear.
 There is a weight to his voice as he tells me about the history of his romance with his wife that suggests yet more being left unsaid, both things that trouble him and things that delight him, but pressing Lord Lucwayn for details doesnât make him any more forthright. And thereâs probably a reason Vette declined to join us for this interview.
 PORT & PLANET: Did you ever worry about your relationship being used against you?
SIVRON: Within the Empire there are many things that can be used against you. I didn't get in the position Iâm in by being unable to circumvent or quell such obstacles. I also know that Vette is more than capable.
 PORT & PLANET: Which one of you proposed? Did either of you have cold feet? What was your wedding like?
SIVRON: [Chuckles] I proposed but it was Vette who told me to do so. No cold feet, only swept ones. As for the wedding, Vette wanted a traditional Twi'lek wedding. It's a long ceremony that took most of the day, consisting of a ritual bathing, tea service, and a sermon given in Ryl. Truly I think the Twi'lek take the honor of having the most elaborate weddings.
 If the sudden sincerity in his smile when he discussed the Commander was a surprise, then the way Lord Lucwayn seems to melt when he speaks about his wife is downright shocking. His words about Vette are tender, but cannot even begin to capture the softness in his eyes or the earnest affection in his smile. Itâs an incongruous sight on a man who ripples with barely restrained power and drips with sexual energy, but itâs no less magnetic than anything else he does. I canât look away.
 PORT & PLANET: So what are your favorite things about Vette? What makes her the match of a Sith Lord?
SIVRON: [Grins] Vette is as adventurous as I am both in the bed and out. I can always count on her to get us into the most delightful trouble.
 PORT & PLANET: And if we asked Vette, what would she say she loves most about you?
SIVRON: I think she would tell you that I have the best ass in the galaxy.
 PORT & PLANET: The two of you spent five years apart while you were held prisoner by Zakuul. What was it like seeing each other again after so much time?
SIVRON: [Smiles fondly] I had tried to be romantic, launching into something about crossing the span of stars and time to be by her side again. But my love had other plans for me.
 PORT & PLANET: So you like making grand gestures. Whatâs the most romantic thing youâve ever done for Vette?
SIVRON: Vette has a passion for reclaiming Twi'lek artifacts. There have been many times I have helped her "persuade" art dealers to part with some of their ill-attained collections.
 PORT & PLANET: Whatâs the most romantic thing sheâs ever done for you?
SIVRON: I'd like to give a vague answer about everything she does being romantic to me. It isn't too far from the truth. It is a wonder that she has chosen me.
 PORT & PLANET: It sounds like the two of you have a really great relationship. Any advice for the newlyweds out there?
SIVRON: Communication is always the key to any relationship. Talk and be honest with each other about every preference you have, from food to sex. They say the Force brings people together, but it takes work to stay together.
 It isnât until the interview is long concluded and the dazzle of watching him pose for the holocams has finally faded that I realize how little new information I actually got out of Lord Lucwayn Tal Sivron. He is a master of half-truths and distraction, wielding that charming smile and alluring gaze as expertly as he wields his lightsaber.
 All his powers of misdirection and secrecy still are not enough to overcome his passion for his wife. I canât know if he meant to let me see the depth of his love for her, but it was impossible not to see it as he spoke of Vette. It was so present, so apparent in his every look and gesture, I could swear I fell a little bit in love with her myself.
 Itâs reassuring to know that beneath the power that swirls around him like a storm, beneath the stories and the gossip and the duties of his position in the Alliance, Lord Lucwayn Tal Sivron is a man with a heart that beats for love, just like the rest of us.